Machine for forming pulp hollow ware



W. H. FULGHER. MACHINE. FOR FORMING PULP HOLLOW WARE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I8, 1918- PatentedSept. 21,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IN'VENTOR.

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W. HJFULCHER.

MACHINE FOR FORMING PULP HOLLOW WARE. APPLICATION FILED our. 18. 1918.

1,353,578. PatentedSept. 21,1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

i 1 I a I Y v if i 86 I 47 H 1 T all whom it may concern:

UNETED STATES PATENT OFFEQE.

WILLIAM H. FULCHER, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE FULCI-IER PULP BOTTLE COMPANY, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

MACHINE FOR FORMING PULP HOLLOW WARE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 21, 1920.

Application filed October 18, 1918. Serial No. 258,674.

Be it known that I, WiLLrAM H. FULOHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for F orming Pulp Hollow Ware, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in machines for forming hollow ware or containers from pulp or other mixtures of solid and liquid materials or from other plastic material. I

One object of the invention is to provide such a machine in which the outer portion of a mold used therein shall be withdrawn directly from the container formed of compressed pulp or the like, and-in which there may be no abrasion of the pulp constituting the container; in which a rotary mold wheel has a series of chambers in which are one, or a plurality of any desired magnitude in lines parallel to the axis of the mold wheel, of molds into which, first, pulp is fed, and then at a succeeding point of the rotation of the mold wheel, pallets are caused to enter the mold cavities and are pressed inwardly into said cavities to close the outer ends of said cavities, and in a succeeding position said pallets are locked therein, and which in a subsequent operation are contracted by great force applied to a plunger, thus expelling the liquid from the contents of the mold and compressing the solid material therein into the form desired; in which, after tl-e pulp has been so compressed, it will remain looked under pres sure for a sufiicientlength of'time, so that, when released from pressure, it will not again expand, but will retain its compressed form, the container being finally discharged from the mold at a subsequent point in the rotation of the mold wheel.

My invention also. resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully specified and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a broken side view of my improved machine; Fig. 2 is a broken plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional View on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4; Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views on the lines 4-4 and 55 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of a filling piece; Fig. 7 is a plan view of a filler block section, a filling piece therein being shown in horizontal section, showing also broken portions of inner wedge-pieces, the innermost positions of the wedge-pieces being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 8 is a broken side view of a filling block with a filling piece therein; Fig. 9 is a broken side view of a cross-head and a plunger supported thereby; Fig. 10 is a front view of said plunger; Fig. 11 is a bottom plan view of a chute; Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the same on the line 12-12 of Fig. 11; Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a container formed by m machine; Fig. 14 is a View similar to Mg. 3, showing the mold parts expanded; Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the parts of the mold expanded.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a frame formed at the bottom with apertured bosses 2, by which it can be bolted to a concrete foundation, not shown, and having at one end a cross-piece 3, which is formed with longitudinally extending bearings 4, through which extend tie-rods 5, which also extend through bearings 6 at the topof upwardly extending portions of the frame, said bearings 4 and 6 being on opposite sides of the place where the thrust of the machine is exerted, so that the tiearods 5, secured in said bearings by nuts 7, resist said thrust.

9- indicates a pulley on a shaft 10 which extends through a bearing 11 on a standard 12, and which carries a pinion 13 which meshes with a gear wheel 14 on a shaft 16 having bearings 17 supported on the upper edges of the frame. Said gear wheel 14 meshes with a gear wheel 18 of the same size and on a shaft 19 rotating in bearings 21 supported on the upper edges of the frame 1. Said shaft 19 carries an arm 22, which has secured thereto a pin 23, carrying a roller 24, which, when said shaft 19 rotates, is adapted to enter and leave insuccession, in a manner similar to that shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,160,996 granted to me Nov. 16, 1915, for concrete presses, each one of a series of radially extending channels 26 on the outer side of an adjacent one of a pair of circular plates 27 rigidly connected with hubs 28 secured on a shaft 29 rotating in bearings 31, supported by the frame 1. Between said plates 27 are wedge-shaped skeleton blocks or partitions 32, in a circular series, the side walls 33 (Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5,) of adjacent partitions being parallel, so as to form, between said blocks or par titions, rectangular chambers 35 having pairs of parallel sides. Said circular plates 27 and blocks 32 are connected and thus constitute a mold wheel and, by the abovedescribed mechanism the mold wheel is intermittently rotated. In such rotation said wheel is locked at the end of each advance.

in the same manner as disclosed in said patent, that is, by upwardly extend n arms 34 hin ed to the frame 1, oneon e'ac side thereo pressed inwardly by sprin s 36 and having at their. upper ends recesse portions,

37 "WlllCll engage lips 38 secured on the adjacent sides of, the mold wheel in a circular series, there being two lips, one on each side of the mold wheel, for each position to which the mold wheel is advanced in its intermittent rotation.

39 indicates the neckor bottom portion of a hopper, supported upon the upper ends of standards 40, secured to, and extending upwardly from, the bearings 6. Uniform quantities of pulp are successively delivered from said hopper through upper and lower gates 41, 42 which extend across said neck 39 and of which one is openedwhile the other is closed, and conversely. These gates extend in opposite directions from pusher rods 43, 44, which are pivotally connected to arms of bell crank levers 46 pivoted on the standards 40, other arms 47 which are pivotally connected to rods 48, which are also connected to the outer ends of arms 49, which are pivoted, as shown at 51, to adjacent parts of the frame 1. The arms 49 are rigidly connected to arms 52, which are ad justably connected, by means of holes 53 therein, with ends of links 54, adjustable in length by means of ri ht and left threads .on the ends of rods 56 orming parts of'said links, the other ends of the links being pivotally supported, as shown at 57, by the upper ends of rocking arms 58, the lower ends of which are pivoted, in the adjacent portions of the frame 1. To reciprocate said (Fig. 4). There may be any number 0% these molds in a line parallel with the shaft 29 two such molds being here shown. In each mold the wood pulp falls into a chamber around a hollow outer core 64, which surrounds and is supported on an inner core 66 carried by a head" 65 on the'outer end of a rod 67 extending radially from a plunger 68 fitting snugly between two adjacent pare titions 32 and between the circular plates 27 and carried by a radially extending rod 69. attached atits inner end to a cross-head 71. The ends of said cross head 71 can slide in radially extending slots 72 in the plates 27. Around said outer core and? spaced therefrom are inner wedge pieces 73, 74.

The cores are here shown as rectangular for the purpose of forming a container having a rectangular interior, and the wedge pieces 73 are for the purpose of'forming wide sides of said container, while the wedge pieces 74 are for the purpose of forming their narrow sides. Said inner wedge pieces 73, 74are supported by extensions 76, (Figs. 4, 7 extending in a direction transverse to the plunger rock '67, frgm filling blocks 77 or 7*, 1n the present instance rectangular, which are held ri id as'by screws extendin through the trame and screwed into ho es 78 in said; filling blocks. The character 77 is used to designate filling blocks which extend between two wedge pieces 74 in line with each other while the numeral 77 is applied to the other filling blocks. Said extensions 76 extend into recesses 79 in the sides of said wedge'pieces 73, 74, sa d recesses being elongated to permit said wedge pieces to move inwardly and outwardly while still supported by said extlensions. Said inner wedge pieces -.are supported against outward pressure by outer wedge pieces 81 or 81*, which are movable in an approximately radial direction, and are guided in such direction by means of dovetail guide pieces 82 (Figs. 3, 4,). The outer wedge pieces 81 also have dove-tail guide POlblOIlS" 83, guiding them in their movement in contact with the inner wedge pieces 73, '74. The wedge piece 81*, which is located between the mold cavities, is sui-- ficiently supported by the filling blocks 7 7 Said outer wedge pieces 81, 81*, are normally held in their outer position by means of springs 84 coiled around stems 86 extending inwardly from the inner ends of said outer wedge pieces and through holes in brackets 87 secured to the circular walls 27 of the mold Wheel, or, in the case of the wedge piece 81*, secured between two adjacent walls 33, said springs being compressed between said brackets and the inner ends of said outer wedge pieces.

Theinner wedge pieces 73, 74 form only partof the outer walls of the mold cavity and, in their outer position, and before the pulp is supplied to said cavity, said wedge pieces 73, 74, are spaced from each other around the mold cavity. To fill the gaps between them there are provided filling pieces 90 the outer corners of which, at the time the pulp is fed to the mold cavity, extend into the mold cavity, as shown in Fig. 7.

After the wood pulp has been discharged into the mold or molds, the mold wheel is advanced through a uniform angular interval of rotation, in this case of a revolution, until the mold, with the ulp therein, arrives beneath chutes 88 igs. 1, 11,), corresponding in number with the number of molds in alinement, in this instance two, each containing a series of pallets 89, which are successively projected transversely from the bottom of said chute by means of spring fingers 95, (Figs. 11, 12) connected to v1- brating yokes 92, said yokes being pivoted on the sides of the chutes and rigidly connected by a bar 85, and vibrated by a link 93, of which one end is connected to one of said yokes 92 and the other end is connected to the joint of a toggle lever 94, which will be hereinafter described, said toggle lever joint having an oscillating motion. The pallets 89 of each series are normally supported by the bottom of the chute, which is extended rearwardly, as shown at 96, (Fig. 11), said extension havin therethrough a hole 97, through which the pallet can drop on to the inwardly sloping surfaces of spring plates 98, secured on the wedge pieces 81 at the entrance to the mold cavity, and which are at the ends, or short sides, of the mold cavity.

The pallet 89 rests upon the surfaces of the spring plates 98 until the mold wheel has again advanced to the next stop, when it is pressed inwardly by a spring 99 extending forwardly from the bottom 96 of the chute. Said spring 99 then presses the pallet inwardly past shoulders'101','formed on the spring plates 98 and then, as the mold wheel rotates, said spring 99 is raised from the moldby passing over the outer edge of the wall 33 of the adjacent skeleton block or partition 32 connecting the two sides of the mold wheel. When said pallet 89 has been forced inwardly'past said shoulders 101, said shoulders sprmg inwardly into the-position shown in Fig. 4 and thereby lock the pallet in position. This inward movement of the pallet forces part of the pulp farther inwardly in the spaces between the outer core 64 and the inner wedge pieces 73, 74, and 'the filling pieces 90, said spaces being closed at their inner ends by the head 65 from which the inner core projects.

In the next intermittent advance of the mold wheel, the mold, closed at the outer side by the pallet 89, is brought opposite to a plunger 102 (Figs. 1, 2, 9, 10), attached to a U-shaped cross-head 103, having flanges 104 which slide in guideways 106. Said cross-head 103 is connected to a rod 107 pivotally connected to a yoke 108, said rod 107 and yoke 108 thus forming the toggle lever 94, to the joint of which, as has been heretofore described, is connected one end of the rod 93. The rear end of the yoke 108 is connected to a cross-head 109, the ends of which slide in guideways 111 on the frame of the machine, said cross-head 109- being also connected to a bar 112 pivotally connected to arms 113 pivoted at their rear ends, as shown at 114, upon an end of the main frame, said-arm 113 and bar 112 thus forming another toggle lever, 115. These toggle levers94, 115, are straightened out in opposite directions by radius links 116, 117, the inner ends of which'are pivotally connectedto cranks'118, 119, on the crank shaft 16 and a crank shaft 121, said shaft 16, 121 carrying pairs of gear wheels 122, 123 meshing with each other, said cranks 118, 119, being oppositely arranged on said crank shafts, so that the toggle levers tend to straighten out in opposite directions simultaneously, the toggle lever 115 straightening out almost immediately after the straightenin'g of the toggle lever 94. These double toggle levers provide for an upward and forward transmission of power to the plunger 102 from the links 116 and 117.

By this arrangement a powerful longitudinal pressure is imparted to the plunger 102. In the face of thisplunger are recesses in which can slide hollow, auxiliary plungers 124, in the present case shown as rectangular, said sliding movement being limited by screws 125, the inner ends of which extend into slots 130 in the plungers 124. In each plunger 124 is contained a coiled spring 126, compressed between the outer end of the plunger 124 and the bottom of said recess, which in this case is the forward face of the cross-head. As the plunger 102 advances, due to the straightening out ofthe toggle levers 94, 115, each auxiliary plunger 124 impinges upon the pallet 89 forming the outer side of the corresponding mold cavity and the pressure transmitted to said plunger 124 through the spring 126 presses the pallet 89 inwardly with a yielding pressure, and so forcesthe pulp to the farthest extremity of the side portions of the mold cavity, thus completely filling said mold cavity, and, by reason of the amount of pulp being exactly that required to form the container, the pallet, when thus pressed inwardly, does not touch the outer end of the outer core, but is so spaced therefrom that the pulp therebetween can form the bottom of the container. In the meantime the main plunger 102 advances, the auxiliary plungers 124 being therefore received into the main plunger, thus compressing the spring 126, and, when the operating faces of both plungers register with each other, the pallet 89, in the new position to which it has been advanced, is locked by latching shoulders 127 on spring plates similar to the plates 98, and which are attached to the wedge pieces 81 opposite'the long sides of the mold cavity. I

The outer ends of the outer wedge pieces 81 are too far apart to be engaged by the plunger 124, which only engages the pallet 89, but the main plunger 102 then engages the outer ends of the outer wedge-pieces, and forces them inwardly, it being observed that the face of the plunger 102 is cut away (Figs. 9, 10) to avoid contactwith the filling blocks 77 and filling pieces 90, and said outer wedge-pieces, by reason of their oblique engagement with the inner wedgepieces, force said inner Wedge-pieces sidewise inwardl or toward the outer core and very strong y compresses the pulp, and makes a one-piece container, the walls and bottom of which are of great density and strength.

It will be observed that the pulp thus pressed into the form of a container is looked under pressure. This is very necessary, as it is found that there is a tendency for the pulp, when greatly compressed into the required form, to spring back or expand when the pressure is removed. It is there fore necessary to hold it under pressure for a sufiicient time to eliminate this tendency to expand. The time required to so retain it under pressure will vary with the conditions under which the container is made. The necessity for retaining said pulp under pressure for a short interval of time is probably due to the fact that, in the operation of pressing the pulp, air is included therein and cannot immediately escape therefrom and is under great pressure, and, if this pressure he removed while the compressed air is still included, the escaping air causes the pulp to expand. But, if the pressure be retained for a sufiicient length of time, the compressed air can escape, for it is to be understood that the parts of the mold do not make with each other an airtight fit or even a liquid-tight fit, although they approach sufiiciently close to prevent any particles of pulp from escaping. While the pulp is being compressed, water escapes therefrom at the ends of the mold and at the joints thereof, and, in the commercial operation of the machine, a suitably located receptacle will be provided to contain the water .so escaping, although I have not thought it necessary to herein show such receptacle.

When the outer wedge-pieces are thus driven inwardly by the plungers 102 they are locked in this position by means of latches 128, having beveled ends which extend through holes in the guideways 82 and shoulders adapted to engage and lock the outer ends of said outer wedge-pieces. To allow said outer wedge-pieces to be moved outwardly by the springs 84, said latches 128 are .withdrawn by means of levers 129, pivotally supported at 132 on the sides of the mold wheel and having arms 133 which are esa/ave pressed outwardly by springs 134. To withdraw the latches 128 said arms 133 are pressed inwardly against said springs 134 by circular stationary cams 136 (Fig; 11), secured upon the side plates 1 and extending in proximity to bosses 137 on the outer ends of levers 138, pivotally supported like the levers 129, upon the sides of the mold wheel, said outer ends transmitting the pres sure from said cams 136. to the outer ends of the levers 129 by means of coiled springs 139 therebetween.

The outer end of each lever 129 on one side of the mold wheel engages a yoke 141, of which the center is connected to the latch 128 on that side, 'and the ends are connected to rods 142 (Fig. 3), which extend the side plates of the mold wheel and carry each a central and two terminal wedges 143, 144. The oblique faces of the wedges 144 bear outwardly against latches 146 which hold down the outer wedge pieces 81 at the short ends of the mold, and-the oblique face of the central wedge 143 bears outwardly against a latch 147 which extends through the adjacent filling block 77 X and holds through down the outer wedge piece 81 between the as here shown, and a single filling block 77.

serves for a filling block of both molds, this filling block contains two filling pieces 90. In either case, the filling piece 90, when extended, completes the rectangular or other form of the filling'block, as clearly shown in Fig. 7. This filling piece 90 is projected into its extended position to complete the form of the filling block before the inner wedge pieces are pressed inwardly to meet at the corners, but the inner'wedge pieces and the filling pieces For the .purpose of facilitating the assemblage of parts, the filling block is itself made in two sections .77, 77 The filling piece 90 has an extension 148, the innerend of which slides in guideways in the top and bottom, respectively, of the lower and upper sections 77", 77 of the filling block. The extension 148 is formed with an oblique hole 149 therethrough, through which passes a correspondingly shaped portion of a shifter 151 having terminal portions 152, 153, slidable in opposite walls of the hollow filling block sections 77% 77". The outer terminal portion 152 of said shifter extends through. the adjacent wall of the mold wheel, or partition, as the case may be. Those which extend through a wall of the mold wheel are con nected to the ends of yokes 154 which are engaged by the outer ends of the levrs 138. Those which extend through partitions 32 of are withdrawn simultaneously.

I tionary, causes necessary 1 they may converge outwardly toward each the mold wheel are moved outwardly by means of wedges 156 on the rods 142. The wedges 156 on each rod 142 engage outer portions of levers 157 and press said levers toward the mold. Said levers are pivoted, as shown at 158, (Fig. 5) upon the adjacent partition 32, and their inner ends are forked and engage, as shown at 159, heads'161 on ends of shifters 162 which, when drawn outwardly, permit the filling pieces 90" to be withdrawn. In order to prevent the filling pieces 90 and 90 from becoming out of parallelism with the filling blocks, there is pro vided a coiled spring 163 contained in a recess in the filling block section 7 7, and which presses outwardly the portion of the filling piece 90 remote from the extension 148.

It will be understood that when the latches are withdrawn, the springs 84 cause the outer wedge pieces to move outwardly, thus causing the inner wedge pieces to move away from the core. The outer walls of the container are thus free.

The next operation is to discharge the container from the machine. This is done by arms 164 rigidly'attached to the arms 52 and which engage pins 166 extending from the cross-head 71. By moving outward the upper portion of said arms 164, the plunger 68 is moved outwardly, and the containers, with the outer corestherein, are moved outward and can be removed from the inner cores. Said outer cores are then removed by hand or otherwise from the containers. The plunger fits snugly between the side plates 27 and between the partitions 32, so that it moves outwardly in a straight line. The plunger is then moved inwardly by the inward movement of said arms 16&. Since the casting 170 is made in the mold cavity when the adjacent corners or edges of the wedge pieces 7 3 and 74 are in contact with each other and also in contact with the outermost corner or edge of the filling piece 90, it might be supposed that it is unnecessary to withdraw this filling piece 90 as well as the wedge pieces 73, 74, before projecting the cast container from the mold cavity, but it has been found by experience that such projection, if the filling piece 90 is stathe corner of the container which is adjacent to the corner of the filling piece 90 to be abraded byits movement in contact with said corner, To avoid the rough appearance caused by such abrasion the filling piece 90 is withdrawn as well 'as the wedge pieces 73, 74:.

While the inner surfaces of the inner wedge pieces and the outer surfaces of the outer core on one side are here shown as parallel with those on the other, it is not that such should be the case, as

other, as when it may be desired to make a ber box formed of wood pulp.

hile the mold cavity here shown is rectangular in form, it is not essential to my invention that this should be the case, sides of the cavity may be arcuate in form,

asthe or the cavity may be cylindrical; and in case the cavity is ofa round form it may be conical instead of c lindrical.

The word paper in the claims is intended to have its broad signification of wood pulp from which the waterhas been expressed and the particles of which are pressed together so firmly as to adhere to one another.

I prefer to form the inner wedge-shaped pieces and the outer cores of hard wood,- or line them with it, as I find that this material comes off from the pressed pulp more easily than does metal or other. material.

I claim 1. The combination of a mold wheel including plates and wedge-shaped blocks or partitions between said plates, side walls of adjacent partitions rectangular chambers having pairs of paral molds around the cores lel sides, cores, and movable radially in said chambers, and means for intermittently rotating said mold wheel.

2. The combination of a mold wheel consisting of parallel circular plates and wedgeshaped blocks or partitions between said plates, side walls of adjacent partitions being parallel to, form rectangular chambers having pairs of parallel sides, cores, mold sections around the cores and forming therewith mold cavities, and movable radially in said chambers, and means for intermittently rotating said mold wheel.

3. The combination of a mold wheel consisting of parallel circular plates and wedgeshaped blocks or partitions between said plates, side walls of adjacent partitions being parallel to form rectangular chambers having pairs of parallel sides, a series parallel with the axis of the mold wheel of cores, and molds around the cores movable radially in said chambers, and means for intermittently rotating said mold wheel.

1. In a machine for forming containers 0 plastic material, the combination of a rotary mold wheel having a series of chambers therein, a core in each chamber, a, mold around :each core forming therewith a mold cavity, means for supporting the core and closing the inner end of members movable toward the mold cavities for closing the outer ends of said mold cavities, and means longitudinally movable closing members to compress the solid material of the plastic material in said mold cavities and expel the liquid material therefrom.

said mold cavity,

for pressing upon thebeing parallel to form means for supporting the cavity at one position in said 5. In a machine for forming containers of plastic material, the colnbination of a rotary mold wheel having a series of chambers therein,a core in each chamber, a mold around each core forming therewith a mold cavity, means for feeding a uniform quantity of a mixture of liquid and solid material into each mold cavity in succession, I core and closing the inner end of said mold cavity, longitudinally lmovable members for closing the outer end of-sa-id mold cavity, and means for pres'sin in succession the longitudinally mova le members to compress the solid material of the plastic material in'said mold cavity and expel the liquid material therefrom.

6. The combination of a rotary mold wheel having a series of chambers, means for rotating the wheel, means for supporting a core in each chamber, means in each chamber surrounding the core and forming therewith a mold cavity, means for closing the inner end of said cavit means for supplyinga uniform quantity of pulp into said for applying a closure to the outer end 'of said cavity in another position of said rotation, and means for compressing the pulp in said mold cavity in a succeeding position ofrotation.

7. The combination of a rotary mold wheel having with a series of chambers, means for intermittently rotating the wheel, means for supporting a core in each chamber, means in each chamber surrounding the core and forming therewith a mold cavity, means for closing the inner end of in another position of said said cavity, means for supplying a uniform quantity of pulp into said cavity at one position in said rotation, means for applying a closure to the outer end of said cavity rotation, means for locking said closing means in said latter position, and means for compressing the pulp in said mold cavity in a succeeding position of rotation..

8. The combination of a rotary mold wheel havin a series of chambers, means for intermittent y rotating the wheel, means for supporting each chamber surrounding the core and forming therewith a mold cavity, means for closing the inner end of said cavity, means for supplying a into said cavity at one position in said rotation, means for applying a closure to the outer end of said cavity in another-position of said rotation, means for pressing said closing means into said cavity in asucceeding position, and means for subsequently pressing inwardly the Walls of said cavity to expel the liquid and compress the solid matter in said pulp.

9. The combination of a rotary mold pel the liduid I I in said pulp, and means in a succeeding posirotation, means a core in each chamber, walls in uniform quantity of pulp wheel having a series of chambers, means for intermittently rotating the same, means for supporting a core in eachchamber, walls in each chamber surrounding the core and forming therewitha mold cavity, means for outer end of said cavity in another position of said rotation, means for pressing said closing means into said cavity in a succeeding position, means for subsequently pressing inwardly the walls of said cavity to exand compress the solid matter tion for projectingfrom said chamber the core with the compressed pulp t ereon.

10. In a mold for forming a container from fluid material, a core, mold sections around the core, filler blocks between the mold sections, filler piecesslidable in the filler blocks, means for closing at one end the cavity between the mold sections and filler pieces and core, and means for closing at the other end the cavity within the mold sections and filler pieces.

11. Means for forming a container from a mixture of solid and liquid material comprising a core, inner wedge-pieces surrounda ing the core to form a mold cavity therewith, stationary filling blocks between the inner wedge-pieces and provided with means for guiding the inner wedge-pieces in their movement to and from the core, outer'wedgepieces engaging the inner wedge-pieces and movable in directions parallel with the'longitudinal direction of the core, filling pieces slidable in the filling blocks to and from the core and completing with the inner wedgepieces the outer wall of the mold cavity, and means for so moving said outer wedgepieces.

12. In combination with a rotary mold wheel having a series of chambers, movable means for forming in each chamber a mold cavity, means for intermittently rotating said mold wheel, means for sup lying to said mold cavity at one point in t e rotation a mixture of liquid and "solid material, a chute located at another point in the rotation, a series of pallets in said chute, means, operating automatically with the rotation of the mold wheel, for transferring a pallet from said chute into said mold cavity, and means for subsequently pressing said pallet into said mold cavity. I

13. In combination with a rotary mold wheel having a series of chambers, movable means for forming in each chamber a mold cavity, means for intermittently rotating said mold wheel, means for su plying to said mold cavity at one point in the rotation a mixture of liquid and solid material, a chute located at another point in the rotation, a series of pallets in said'chute, means, operating automatically with the rotation of the mold wheel, for transferring a pallet from said chute" into said mold cavity, a spring automatically operated at a succeeding point in said rotation to press said pallet into said mold cavity to force said mixture inwardly thereinto, and means automatically operated at a subsequent of the mold wheel to contract said mold cavity and expel therefrom the liquid material and compress the solid material therein.

14. In combination with a mold wheel having a series of chambers and mold cavities in said chambers, pallets for closing the outer ends of said chambers, a plunger having a recessed face, in said recess, a spring for normally proecting said auxiliary plunger, said plunger eing of proper size to enter the outer end of each mold cavity and press the pallets thereinto, means in each chamber for contacting said mold cavity, and means automatically operated while the mold wheel is at rest to press first-named plunger toward the mold wheel and actuate said contracting means.

15. In combination, a core, wedge-pieces surrounding the core and spaced therener wedge-pieces,

from to form a mold cavity therebetween, filling blocks. interposed between the wedgepieces, filling pieces slidable'in the filling blocks, outer wedgepieces engaging the inner wedge pieces, and a plunger for moving longitudinally the outer wedgepieces and thereby moving laterally the inthe operating face of said plunger being of such form as'to avoid contact with filling blocks and filling pieces while contacting with said outer wedgepieces. 7

r 16. In combination, a. rotary mold Wheel having a series of chambers, means for forming contractible mold cavities in said cham bers, means located at one point in the rotation of the mold wheel for supplying a mix ture of fluid and solid materials to said mold cavities-in. succession, meansat another point thereof for contacting said mold cavities with said material therein, to expel there- 'from the liquid material and compress the solid material therein, means at a point in point in rotation an auxiliary plunger its rotation for locking the mold cavity against expansion when so compressed, and

means in a subsequent point in its rotation for unlocking said mold cavity.

17. In combination, a rotary mold wheel having a circular series of chambers, means for forming contractible mold cavities in terial and compress the solid material therein, latches slidable in wheel to lock movable parts of the walls of the mold cavity when so contracted, means for withdrawing said latches to permit said mold cavities to expand, and stationary circular cams for operating said withdrawing means in the rotation of the mold wheel.

18. In a mold for forming a container from a mixture of fluid and solid material, a core, mold sections around the core, filler blocks between the mold sections, filler pieces slidable in the filler blocks, means for almost closing at one end the cavity between the mold sections and filler pieces and the core, means for almost closing at the other end the cavity within the mold sections and filler pieces, and means for pressing inwardly the mold sections to expel the waterand compress the solid material of the mixture.

19. In a mold for forming a container from a mixture of fiuid and solid materiah'a core, mold sections around the core, filler blocks between the mold sections, filler pieces slidable in the filler blocks, means for almost closing at one end the cavity fbetween the mold sections and filler pieces 'meansfor withdrawing in the reverse direction the mold sections and the filler pieces.

WILLIAM FULCHER.

directions transverse to the plane of rotary movement of the mold 

